Photo Essays

14 for ’14: Best uniforms in college football

Bryan Fischer

College Football 24/7 writer

Share

There are few things better than seeing your favorite team take the field on a college football Saturday. The tradition and the pageantry of the college ranks is one reason why millions of fans get excited for football in the fall and the numerous uniform combinations schools wear is something that can be a bit foreign to some NFL fans. In honor of the various looks teams will wear this year, College Football 24/7 continues the 14 for '14 series with the best uniform combinations we'll see this year. While we all love the classics, this list is heavy on new designs and alternates as we get to see what kind of fresh look teams will don this year.

14 Photos Total

14

Justin Ford/USA Today Sports

14. Mississippi State's anniversary uniform

The Bulldogs will wear these uniforms for the opener against Southern Miss in a nod to the 100th anniversary of Scott Field. The throwback look harkens back to the 1990s and has a number of very cool touches, from the stripes on the shoulders to the state of Mississippi on the back above the nickname. As far as tributes go, this is a pretty cool one, and the team should consider breaking the uniforms back out with their stylish gold helmets later in the year.

13

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

13. Stanford's all-black uniform

Stanford normally sticks to their traditional setup -- with a variation or two -- but they have often donned the all-black uniform combination at a home game or two in the past two years. It's certainly a departure from the Cardinal's normal colors, but it's a very clean, well-done look with one of the best matte helmets around.

12

@TerryBowden

12. Akron's gold helmets

Head coach Terry Bowden has been tweeting out photos of the Zips' new prototype uniforms this summer, and the look is fairly simple when it comes to the uniform design. But that would be leaving one important part out: the extremely polished and shiny gold helmet the players could be wearing if Akron debuts this sleek uniform in the fall. Those things are seriously reflective, but the engraved "Z" on the side is pretty slick.

11

NC State Athletics

11. N.C. State's "Pack in the Back" helmet

While uniforms can come and go, one of the ways schools have been mixing things up is by rotating new helmets in to change a look. The Wolfpack seem to be taking that to the next level when they released some images of their alternate lids that feature a wolf's eyes staring out the back of the helmet. It's certainly different and it will be fascinating to see them in action on the field.

10

Andrew Weber/USA Today Sports

10. UCLA's L.A. Midnight

The powder blues of the Bruins are one of college football's top uniforms over the years but adidas has been giving the team a few alternates to wear lately and debuted an updated TechFit look for UCLA last year. The black was certainly a departure from the past for the team but looked pretty slick and could see use in 2014 as well. The best part for UCLA might be the gloves, which feature palm trees and the Los Angeles skyline.

9

Wisconsin Athletic Communications

9. Wisconsin's all-red uniform

The official Wisconsin football Twitter account posted a picture in June of an all-red uniform combination from Adidas that was taken from the team's preseason photo shoot. The Badgers haven't said when they might wear the alternate look, but it seems like the big nonconference game against LSU or a night-kick late in the Big Ten season might be the spot to unleash these bad boys.

8

Nike

8. Miami's mix-and-match uniforms

Florida State wasn't the only ACC program in the state to get flashy new uniforms, as the Hurricanes got into the game with an unveiling back in April. They'll likely mix-and-match among the traditional uniforms they showed the public. But the all-white look with green trim is pretty cool. The slickest set unveiled is the full grey uniforms, however -- a much better "smoke" look than what Tennessee has donned in the past.

7

Chris Nicoll/USA Today Sports

7. BYU's alternates

The Cougars are sticking with their classic, great-looking uniforms for most of the year but unveiled three alternate home uniforms in May. The team will have a white-out look when Virginia comes to town and a black-out uniform in November when UNLV comes to town. The best of the three might be the all-blue uniform, however, which BYU will don for a "Royal Revival" night against in-state rival Utah State.

6

Nike

6. Florida State's garnet helmets

Win a national championship, get a new brand identity, apparently. The Seminoles didn't undergo a massive change but did update their logo and unveil new Nike uniforms in April. In some cases, it's the classic look we've come to know and love from Florida State, with a few tweaks to the shoulders and other trim elements. The all-black uniform is particularly intimidating, and a garnet helmet is one of the slicker ones east of the Mississippi.

5

Nike

5. Arkansas' secondary logo

In addition to getting a new set of uniforms, the Razorbacks also got a new secondary logo that some might mistake for an angry Pumba (of Lion King fame). While the updated mark is what drew a lot of fan interest, the school's new uniforms also were released by Nike, and they were surprisingly not as exorbitant as other designs we've seen from the company. The clean look and simple font get a thumbs-up, and the all-white look is really sharp.

4

Joe Raymond/Associated Press

4. Notre Dame's new deal

The Irish are no longer with Adidas after signing an extremely lucrative deal with Under Armour in the offseason. Various officials have commented that the design of the standard home and away uniforms won't change much from the team's iconic look. Still, there will undoubtedly be a few small changes here and there -- even if the company doesn't do anything drastic. The Irish have also been known to employ a rather out-of-the-box look for their Shamrock Series, and we may see something crazy for the game against Purdue.

3

Nike

3. Washington's makeover

Last year the Huskies rotated several uniform combinations that looked pretty nifty, including a shiny chrome helmet the team used a few times. Despite all that, the Huskies still got a new look from Nike for 2014 -- to play into the fact that there's a new coaching staff in town. Washington will have three new jerseys, four pants and three different helmets, which the team can mix and match as they please. In preview images, the all-black, all-white and all-purple looks were each eye-catching, but the first two might end up being the most popular.

2

Nike

2. Oregon's flashy looks

There is nothing traditional about what this team wears on a weekly basis. The Ducks are well-known for their various uniform combinations, and that will continue to be the case in 2014. Although traditionalists might say the uniforms are too flashy, such a look is what recruits crave nowadays -- and that's one of the reasons why other programs are trotting out various makeovers. It will be hard to top Oregon, however, and the huge nonconference game against Michigan State could be Nike's chance to whip up something special for the many eyes across the country that tune in.

1

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

1. Penn State's classic style

There's just something great about seeing seeing the clean lines and classic look of the Nittany Lions once the team will take the field with a white-out at Beaver Stadium. The design has changed little over the years, but there have been some slight tweaks the last few seasons. Notably, former head coach Bill O'Brien added names to the back -- but that might be a decision James Franklin will reverse in 2014. Until Penn State takes the field, we'll wonder what the exact look will be this year. But, as always, we'll have a good idea given the history of the blue and white.